Totally Brothered
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Ash and Pikachu must help the WOOHP agents battle someone distributing a new drug to the world. AshXSam
1. Versailles-Tile

_Disclaimer: No ownership to Pokémon or Totally Spies._

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 _ **Totally Brothered**_

 _Chapter 1: Versailles-Tile_

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 _(Versailles Palace; Versailles, France; 22:42)_

A gorgeous city with a steel tower that stood in the backdrop. Flying high, a three-colored flag of red and blue with white in the middle. A palace within a gated fence and stakes had high security. Men in blue uniforms and British police caps strolled throughout the halls of the palace. A flashlight in hand, a guard combed the halls lighting the corners. So far, no intruders and every piece of art that hung on those walls remained untouched. Two guards met up, bobbing a nod to acknowledge their post before crossing. One guard made his pass through when he heard a footstep. He turned, no one in sight.

"Qui est là?" he wondered. He walked back to where he heard the footstep. The flashlight illuminated nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, a vial full of a blue liquid crashed by his feet, emitting shards of glass and liquid in front of him. As the liquid settled on the floor, a mist cloud formed and risen to his face. "Ques-que ce?" The mist entered through his mouth and nose. Whatever entered his head didn't take effect immediately. The guard wouldn't let this mess interrupt his patrol. "J'aurai besoin de ce nettoyé..." That's when he heard a series of laughing. In a flash and spooked, the guard spun and lit the path from his way. Still, nothing looked out of place but from his eyes, the hallway seemed to warp. It began to spook the guard. "Ce qui se passe?!" He took a step back, his mind becoming more dismantled from the mist. That step touched the liquid which he slipped. He lost his footing and crashed on the floor, miraculously not cutting himself on the broken vial. More screams echoed from the palace while a man in all black entered, carrying a few more vials of the liquid. His nose and mouth were also covered.

"I gotta admit," he awed with an English accent. "This compound packs a bigger punch than he anticipated." He began to make his way through the palace, guards spaced out in more ways than their dilated eyes showed. He arrived at a room where various jewels sat in a glass case. One was a golden crown with a red hood sewn inside and a cross on the top. "There's my beauty. Had to go through a bloody time to retrieve you." He pulled out a glass cutter with an arm attached to a suction cup. After sticking the cup, he put the cutter to the glass and spun it around. Gently, he removed the cut portion out. He reached in and grabbed the crown. "I finally have you, my precious." He felt a clean getaway within reach with the guards incapacitated. He turned to leave which freedom became an item to earn. One more guard entered, but unlike those strewn on the floor, this was a young redhead woman.

"And where do you think you're going with the Crown of Versailles?" she spoke with an American accent. The thief stopped but never acknowledged the foreigner.

"Aren't you a little… out of place, miss?" The redhead smirked to counter hiis claim.

"Speak for yourself. Where did you get that concoction?" Under the mask, the thief smirked.

"You'll have to catch me without falling into its' spell." The thief grabbed another vial and threw it to the ground, The redhead shielded her face from the shards of glass. The mist crept toward the redhead but she backed away, not wanting to suffer the same fate. This gave the thief time to escape. She lost out on taking the thief down but flipping the cover of her wristwatch didn't have her surrendering so easily.

"Clover, he's heading in your direction." On the other side of the line was a young blond woman in a red full-skin tight suit with heels. She hid in the alley across the street from the palace.

"You okay, Sam?" she asked.

"Yeah, the drug didn't get me. Just be careful. I'll tend to the guards."

"Got it." Clover closed the cover as the thief exited the palace. Guards waiting by the gate saw the thief exit.

"Arrêt!" one guard ordered as they brought batons out. "Voleur!"

"Vous ne pouvez pas vous échapper!" the other guard warned.

"Sorry, but I only understand English!" he taunted before throwing another vial, breaking between the guards. When the mist entered their heads, their minds bugged out and their eyes dilated. Standing still, the thief dashed past the guards as the substance took effect. Clover gave chase.

"How about me?" she shouted. The thief turned to Clover who rode on a skateboard that seemed to roll on its own. He ran as hard as his muscular legs could move.

"Bloody Americans…" Clover pulled out a pair of bolas, rope tied to two iron spheres, and hurled them at the thief. It looked on target until the thief stopped and performed an acrobatic back-flip, over the bolas and Clover in one fell swoop. She rolled pass while looking stunned.

"Jerry never mentioned this guy as a former gymnast..." Once she picked the bolas, she spun around as the thief ducked into the alley. Her full-circle turn bought the thief time to escape her grasp. When she continued her pursuit in the alley, their target seemingly vanished. Somewhere in the corridor of buildings laid the thief. She reopened her wristwatch. "Alex, you're up. I lost track of our heist-man." On the roof was a moderately tanned young woman with dark brunette hair wearing a similar outfit like Clover, only yellow from her red.

"Didn't the magnetic bolas work?" she nagged. "Seriously, I thought Jerry trusted you to properly use them!"

"Hey, don't blame me for not knowing he could back-flip 20 feet backwards in a snap!"

"He can jump _that_ far?" She looked down to find the thief. Her time to shine emerged. "Okay, he's mine. I'll be wary of that drug." She began her sprint from the rooftops over the elusive thief. He became annoyed at the girls who wanted him but not in the fashion he desired.

"Blimey, I'm too old for some teenagers," he mulled. "Gotta shake her off my tail as well." Despite the differences in height, Alex dashed from rooftop to rooftop in order to keep pace. She held a pole yet she didn't use it to vault the gaps. Sick of his pursuers, the thief heaved another vial that shattered hitting the corner of the roof, spilling the liquid in her path. However, the thief forgot that another roof was only a jump away, and Alex took advantage of the opening and leaped to the other roof while still shadowing him.

"I read that book last month!" Somewhere within the maze, two figures of different sizes heard the approaching sounds. Someone was on his or her way there. Alex spotted the end of the alley and fired her pole which morphed to a cage at the thief. The cage anchored the ground as it surrounded the thief. "Gotcha!" Her attitude was short-lived as it turned out the thief she believed caged was a stray dog. Alex mulled to the sight of her failure. "I certainly mutt things up." She barely noticed the liquid that the stray licked like water. "No! Bad Doggy! Stop!" The stray reacted to the drug, trying to cough it out of its system. Alex cut the cage to save the stray. "Let's get you to a vet!" Forced to abandon the target, the dog got freed by Alex via steel cutting laser. She pulled the stray out before reaching her wristwatch again. "Clover, you'll have to take over! Dog ingested drug!"

"On my way, Alex!" copied Clover. Alex took the dog to hopefully get medical aid. In a different alley, the thief slowed down, uncovering his mask to reveal a rugged goatee.

"Now all I wait for..." he started before he heard a footstep. "And there he is now." His contact, perhaps to trade the Crown of Versailles for his reward. However, his turn revealed a figure that wasn't close to being as tall as the thief. Only the bill of a red baseball cap over chocolate brown eyes appeared in the light. The thief took little pity on this boy. "Isn't it pass your bedtime, kid? Run home to Mommy-" A new set of eyes spooked the thief. "Wait, who the bloody heck _are_ you?" He grabbed one more vial. The vial cocked back, one head leaped up from the figure, yellow ears emerging from the light. The thief couldn't make out the ears as sparks crackled.

"Do it!" the boy shouted. Back with Alex, she gave the sickened stray to a driver.

"Merci!" she praised before the driver took off. Sam, now wearing a green version of the other outfits, and Clover arrived. Alex felt bad for letting the thief slip from her grasp. "Sorry about that, guys." Sam, her hair reaching her torso, crossed her arms.

"I knew this guy's tricky from Jerry's briefing but seriously!" she groaned. "He still has vials of that drug."

"Well, I'm glad none of us got exposed to it," Clover sighed. Alex was lucky to avoid the drug but wouldn't have wanted the stray to suffer like it did.

"Wish I could say the same for that dog," she murmured. Just as they settled down, an explosion ruptured nearby. The girls heard the blast and ran toward it. When they arrived, they found three bodies: the thief, a raven-haired boy and a yellow mouse. The boy wore a black vest with a yellow line across the middle over a white t-shirt and jeans. Behind him was a break in the wall, presumably from the impact of the blast. The mouse was rather large and its tail shaped in a lightning bolt. All three had their senses knocked out. Sam ran to the boy as Clover dug through the thief, finding two more vials of the drug-in-question.

"Alex, notify Jerry that we got the target."

"You got it!" Alex pulled out a mascara clam and opened it. "We got the thief and his drug on those guards."

"Well done, girls," echoed an old man with a similar accent as the thief. "I have the transport en route to your destination." Sam felt the boy around for injuries and a pulse. The mouse woke up after its stint.

("Man, that smarts!") it squeaked. Sam turned to the mouse rubbing its head. She heard mostly "Pi, Pika!" which didn't help with understanding it.

"Was that you, Sam?" questioned Clover.

"No…" denied Sam. Clover saw the rodent who turned to the unconscious boy.

("Ash, you okay?") it squeaked in concern. Alex, done putting restraints on the thief, and Clover came over to Sam and the mouse trying to see if the boy was alive.

"That's a… pretty big mouse," noted Alex. The mouse heard Alex and turned to the blond and brunette. Clover's eyes, then face gasped at the mouse rather admirably.

"It's cute!" she screeched as she picked it up.

"Oh! My! Gosh! I wanna keep it!" Alex petted the mouse, still worried about the boy. "I see… you belong to that boy Sam's checking on." The mouse nodded with a squeak or two. Clover felt attached to the mouse.

"Oh, I hope he doesn't mind us hanging on you for sometime, you wittle cutie!" She nuzzled her cheek to the red circular cheek on the mouse. Unable to move from the two, it squeezed its cheeks and emitted a burst of electricity. The zapping stopped Clover and Alex cold, loosening their grip on the mouse. Needless to say how stunned Clover and Alex were.

"That… was a shocking discovery."

"It's not… the numb I wanted to feel." Both girls fell from… shock. Seeing her friends down, Sam realized the mouse wasn't ordinary.

"Pun, maybe…" she shrugged. "But I agree. Don't worry, little guy. When we get back to WHOOP, Jerry will make sure he's good." She unveiled her own mascara clam and opened it. "Jerry, we may need the infirmary for a mysterious case."

"Did one of you get exposed to the drug?" the old man asked.

"Not us, and it's… hard to believe, even if we show you." Sam hoped Clover and Alex would recover soon. She looked back at the child. "Don't worry, whoever you are. We'll take care of you." Who was this kid and the mouse? And what role would they play in this drug case?

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TO BE CONTINUED…

(Yes, I know the polls suggest Bakugan but I don't have a proper outline for that story, and for that, I'm sorry. Please reassure that I may do it soon enough when I have the proper story basis down.)


	2. A New Big WOOHP

_Chapter 2: A New Big WOOHP_

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 _(WOOHP HQ, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 07:32)_

A towering skyscraper loomed in a new city which from overhead looked like a "W." A helipad was by the lower right of said "W" and the logo bared the same letter, only to lave an oval globe behind it. Inside one office, there was the mouse and a balding old man with a thin mustache holding the vial with the drug inside. Entering the room were two of the girls. "Good morning, girls," he greeted. The mouse squeaked to welcome Clover and Alex in.

"Morning, Jerry," Clover greeted. The girls wore casual, light clothes like Clover's red skirt and open buttoned shirt over a white blouse. Alex, donning a white sleeveless t-shirt and slacks, welcomed the mouse.

"Did you have a nice sleep, little guy?" she cooed. The mouse squeaked to return the greeting. Jerry noticed the other girl not present.

"Sam?"

"As soon as we arrived, she headed right to the room where that boy's resting."

"I see. From what I've been advised, he's still recovering from physical and emotional exhaustion. Monitors shown that he hadn't awaken since that explosion in capturing Calvin Doggs." The mouse lowly squeaked in concern. Clover knew the mouse's growing fear.

"Hey, we're just as worried about him as well," she consoled.

"Well, it's not much of a surprise Pikachu has concern for his trainer," Jerry clarified. The two girls blinked to the name of the mouse.

"Wait, you know this mouse?" questioned Alex.

"You're wondering how, correct?" Clover and Alex nodded. "When you brought the boy, his materials were confiscated, one of them being this." Jerry pulled out a red hand-held device and slid it to Clover who opened it. Two screens emerged on each flap and had buttons around the bottom screen.

"Looks like a weird Nintendo DS," she figured. Jerry turned on a monitor on the wall, revealing Pikachu's body in a still. A description collected on the opposite side of Pikachu's picture, including his name. "Would you look at that." Alex observed the stats displayed.

"Pikachu, Electric Mouse Po-," she fumbled on how to pronounce the last word. "Poke- What?" Pikachu groaned at the stumble.

("Play it, Jerry,") he insisted. Jerry reached to press a few keys and access another screen with the boy's face.

"There's an explanation to the boy in this device," he added. "He's Pikachu's trainer, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town in Kanto." Quickly, Alex had a guess to Ash's origin.

"So he's Japanese?" she assumed.

"That was my first thought, but Pallet Town doesn't exist anywhere on Earth, let alone in Japan. And this Pokémon, as much as Alex wants to pronounce, is proof that Ash and Pikachu are from a different plain." More questions risen from the discovery.

"So, like, how did they find Paris from their world?" asked Clover. Pikachu could explain but since no human knew how it spoke, he chose to keep his mouth shut.

"I suppose when Ash awakens, we'll learn more of their land. In the meantime, I did release some more creatures he possesses and they're in the field room for some exercise." He switched screens which showed four more creatures. An orange monkey with blue fur under its eyes and a burning tail, a grayish-brown giant bird of prey with orange feathers in front of its eyes, an orange weasel with a yellow floatation ring around the neck and a large green turtle with bushes growing from a yellow shell and lower lip. "Let me present Monferno, the monkey; Grotle, the turtle; Buizel, the weasel and Staraptor, the avian." While the girls studied Pokémon, Sam waited bedside by Ash despite not joining her friends to learn. Sam wore a green polo t-shirt and jeans while wearing high-heeled sandals. She reached over his head and petted his wild hair. Sam's hands caused Ash to react with some moans. He soon opened his eyes.

"How long..." he weakly groaned. "...Have I been asleep?" Sam turned to see the boy now coming around. She looked at the watch to verify.

"At least 18 hours," she replied. Ash shook his head softly as well grasping it, unsure on whether to believe the redhead or not.

" _That_ long?" Man..." He couldn't believe the length of time he slept. "How's Pikachu doing? Is he okay?" Sam blinked, befuddled to the name of the mouse found by Sam and her friends.

"Do you mean that mouse with the electric disposition?" Before Ash could answer, a phone rang. Sam pulled out a cellphone and pressed the green phone button before placing it around her cheek. "This is Sam."

"Hey, is Ash awake?" asked Clover. Sam blinked again.

"Who?"

"The boy we found with the mouse." Sam looked back at Ash, now informed.

"He is. He asked about a Pikachu."

"Tell him we're watching Pikachu and he's doing fine."

"No problem. We'll see you in a little bit." Sam hit the red button to end the call. "Come on. Pikachu's waiting with my friends." Gingerly, Ash crawled out of bed with Sam acting support. Ash stepped on the floor, but his sore and overslept body crumbled in Sam's arms. "Easy, there!" Once settled, Sam walked Ash to a chair where he put his black/red shoes on. Once his feet were dressed, he stood with some help from the redhead.

"At least I can understand you better than everyone outside," he huffed. Sam had to correct Ash on a few fronts.

"Actually, we're not in France, anymore." Ash turned to Sam in wonder. "We're actually in LA. You'll see."

"I guess… Sam." The redhead giggled at her name brought up.

"Right… Ash." They left the room and traveled down the hallway a little bit. Sam knocked on the door reading "Main Office."

"Enter," Jerry called. Sam opened the door, seeing the aging man, Clover, Alex and Pikachu.

("Ash!") he cheered as he raced to Ash who caught him.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash embraced Pikachu in a hug before letting him climb on his shoulder. He now faced the rest of the cast. "Thanks for watching Pikachu while I've been sleeping for so long."

"It was our pleasure," Jerry acknowledged.

"Except for that bit he shocked me," Clover complained. Alex snickered to the moment in Versailles.

"Now, now, girls," Jerry urged, waiving for calm. "Excuse us for that. Ash Ketchum, I'm Jerry Lewis. I run WOOHP, the World Organization of Human Protection. We aid the world in protecting the people from those who wish to do harm." To Ash, their concept sounded familiar.

"I guess… me, Pikachu, my Pokémon and my friends share the same task." To Clover, it sounded like Ash was a WOOHP agent before he heard the organization.

"Really?!" she gasped. "Seems someone has been a WOOHP agent since birth and hired others to aid in his protection program."

"Tell me about it," Alex agreed. "I'd like to see his track record." Jerry smiled to the boy, only to wonder of his appearance.

"Speaking of tracks," he spoke up. "Ash, how did you find yourself in France?" Ash blinked some more before trying to recall moments of prior.

"It wasn't long after my epic loss to Paul, and one of my traveling friends tried to cheer me up from it, that we entered the next town. I saw some Unown flying while my friends entered a clothing store. I didn't care much for clothing, anyway. Pikachu and I wondered so we pursued without looking where we were exactly and got lost like usual for us." Pikachu nodded with a squeak. "By the time the swarm left, we found ourselves in a fork in an alleyway. By chance, I chose to go down one path which we found ourselves in a different land, mainly due to the people speaking this France tongue. All these 'Bonjours' and 'mercies,' I didn't know how to react." Jerry and Sam believed Ash and Pikachu in their bit of "Lost Translation."

"I suppose if you're not from Europe, you'll find yourself in panic mode trying to understand their languages like French, German, Polish or Russian, to name a few." Alex shunned at the languages Jerry listed.

"Jerry, I've heard that with age comes wisdom," she groaned a quote. "But there's no way you know how to speak that many languages."

"Yes, well… This is why translators are available. Anyway, it sounds as if these Pokémon you chased somehow brought you to Versailles mere hours before the Crown was absconded from the city's palace."

"Pretty much. I mean… there were a couple of teenage girls who gave me and Pikachu kisses to the cheeks and we're blushing like it wasn't something we're known for… You know what I mean?" The girls giggled at the misunderstanding of what took place. They didn't think it was anything to be concerned for.

"So was it a peck to one cheek, then the other?" questioned Clover.

"Yeah..." Clover snickered to the truth.

"That's how people in France greet each other. Nothing to get bashful about."

("Really?") Pikachu hummed. Ash settled on the word.

"I'll keep that in mind when I get back home," he shrugged. "Now the crown bit, I found on accident. When I heard someone speaking English nearby. That's when there was talk on some crown and an experimental drug." Now Jerry and the girls tuned in. "I remember one of them being that burglar who we stopped. The other sounded like an older me." The girls believed the other wasn't from a place in Europe.

"An American?" guessed Sam. Ash had more.

"That guy presented a belt with vials of that drug. I didn't get a good look at either but I did see that belt." Jerry dug in a pile of papers and pulled out one with vital information.

"We did recover two of the vials for research," he explained. "Tests come back as the drug containing different components like THC, GHB, pseudoephedrine and spores from psychedelic mushrooms." The girls seemed a little startled from the report.

"Sounds like ingredients for street drugs around here like marijuana, heroine, cocaine and others," Sam enlightened.

"Okay, but what would they be doing in France?" asked Clover. Sam groaned at the slow realization.

"Drugs are all over the world, Clover! It's not just an American problem." Ash felt the issue wasn't on a worldwide scale. Not yet anyway.

"I don't quite understand why someone would need to combine all these street drugs into one," Ash shrugged. "Let alone be in liquid form." Jerry scanned the information.

"According to the study," he opened. "The liquid will disperse a gas containing a hallucinogenic that would bleed into the pores of any nearly personnel and contaminate said personnel's senses sans touch." Alex surveyed the study.

"So this gas takes control of a person's sight, smell, taste and hearing," she narrowed the information with a shiver. "That's a frightening thought." Ash had some more to add.

"Anyway, that cat burglar confronted us in that back alley," he brought up. "When I told Pikachu to use Thunderbolt to stop him, he opened that vial. With this detail, I bet he wanted us to feel its effects. He didn't get a chance to fling it as some of Pikachu's electricity touched the drug in the vial. It exploded and… that's the last thing I remember." Pikachu nodded to the explanation, saying it reeled from the blast. Jerry and the girls awed this new detail.

"So that's what brought us to you?" gawked Clover. Pikachu squeaked in grateful gesture. Jerry took note of this addition.

"Fascinating..." he awed. "This concoction of drugs might have an incompatible ingredient which makes it susceptible to electricity." Jerry figured that having Ash helping could prove fruitful. "The lab will continue its study to the drug and find flaws like electricity to demise it." He now turned to the girls who found him. "Clover, Sam, Alex… will it be too much trouble to supervise him at either of your homes?" Looking to each other, Alex clicked a plan.

"The villa?" she suggested. Clover and Sam smiled to the idea.

"The villa!" they repeated. Ash and Pikachu looked to each other with the curiosity.

"The villa?" he copied. Jerry believed the time came.

"OF course," he snapped. "The villa in Beverly Hills. That way, none of their parents will know of him or his Pokémon. Would it be too great of a suggestion to stay with the girls until WOOHP finds your way home?" Pikachu shook his head, not objecting to the offer.

"If Pikachu wants to go, I'll go with them too." Satisfied, Jerry nodded to allow the group departure.

"Very well. I may need your efforts at any time. Everyone, dismissed!" The group left the room, Clover in the lead. Ash should feel excited about staying with a few young women… Pikachu certainly was… yet somehow, Ash didn't feel too happy. What bothered him and could the girls of WOOHP perk him back up?

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. VillaFied

_Chapter 3: VillaFied_

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 _(Beverly Hills, CA, USA; 13:23)_

Removed from his world by curiosity, Ash and Pikachu rode in a red convertible with the teenage spies on their way to a villa the three apparently owned, Sam behind the wheel. "Don't worry, Ash!" shouted Clover, making sure he and Pikachu listened. She sat in the passenger seat, in front of Alex. "You and the Pokémon will enjoy the area!" Ash nodded to the promise.

"The villa actually belongs to our parents and loaned it to us while they were away in Europe for business," Alex explained. After some driving, the convertible arrived at a quaint upper-scale house with a room at a corner surrounded mostly by glass windows. The group came out to see the house. Ash and Pikachu awed the sight.

"This is your villa?" he gawked.

("It's huge!") gasped Pikachu. The girls made it to the door with Sam unlocking the way inside.

"Wait until you see inside," she offered. With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash entered the villa behind the girls and viewed the inside. The first room inside had two levels reachable via small staircase. The lower level had a wraparound yellow couch with colored pillows and a wide-screen TV set below an aquarium. The upper level had a glass table and chair set at one end. Pink carpet coated the ground to both levels with some yellow on the upper. Ash awed the room's design.

"Whoa!" he awed. "Amazing!" Ash viewed the room with his mouth open. He scoped the kitchen which had a refrigerator with a built-in water and ice dispenser, a digital oven, microwave and cookware beyond imagination. "If only Brock came with me, this detour would be ideal." Pikachu caught an aroma bleeding from the refrigerator. He opened the door and what he found, his eyes glistened.

("There you are!") he squeaked as he pulled out a ketchup bottle. Just as soon as Pikachu took the tiny bottle, he squeezed a tiny blotch of ketchup and licked it before repeating the process a few times, much to the amusement of the spies and Ash's chagrin.

"Pikachu!"

("What? It's ketchup! I like ketchup!") Even if Ash didn't understand what Pikachu pleaded, it wasn't about what Pikachu wanted.

"You know it's rude to just barge into someone's refrigerator and take their food." Realizing his mistake, the Electric Mouse felt terrible, his ears droop in shame.

("That's why… I'm sorry!") Alex knelt to Pikachu's level to comfort him.

"That's okay," she acknowledged. "We've got plenty of ketchup stored." Pikachu felt better about the rush to supply himself. Sam began to wonder the connection between the boy and the mouse.

"So how long have you two been together?" she asked.

"Since I started my career as a Pokémon Trainer," Ash replied. "And despite some close calls, we've been together on every region." The girls awed the longevity of the unity, but the close calls had Alex a little concerned.

"Why not discuss this over some pizza," she suggested. "You have any toppings you don't favor?"

"Not that I know of."

"Okay…" Alex got on the phone to order the pizza, having it delivered. The extra large pizza, once it arrived, had pepperoni, Italian sausage, red and green peppers, onions, mushrooms and black olives. The spies and Ash scarfed on the pizza before Alex wanted to ask about the relationship. "So you two have been together since the beginning."

"And it wouldn't have happened if I didn't destroy my alarm clock." Clover and Sam snickered while trying to keep their slices in their mouths. "Okay, let me clarify. As a new Pokémon Trainer, I had an opportunity to have either a Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle. Unfortunately, other trainers got them before me. That's when my professor offer Pikachu and aside from some disagreements, we've been side-by-side." Sam nodded to the chemistry between the two.

"I believe you," she scoffed. "After you were knocked out by that blast in Versailles, Pikachu didn't leave you until Jerry assured you'd be okay."

"Of course, that was one of two instances which we could have been two separate entities." Now the spies listened. "One time, we found a tribe of Pikachus frolicking around. When my Pikachu rescued a little one, the other Pikachus accepted him as a member… at least what I believed at the time... So much so that I felt he was better off with the Pikachu than with me." Clover and Alex gasped. "After helping the Pikachus, I felt confident that my Pikachu could make sure the tribe was protected. So I left. It's not that I didn't have more Pokémon on me, more of these Pikachus needing a guardian. As the sun came up after an exhausting night, the Pikachus stood at the top of a hill when my Pikachu chose to stay with me instead of staying with the rest of the Pikachus." During a pause, Ash snagged his cap and put it on Pikachu's head. The Pokémon pushed the bill to see the girls. "Instead of going different ways, the experience brought us… closer together." The girls began tearing up at the story.

"That was beautiful!" wept Clover, a napkin drying her face of tears. Alex sniffled, her arm used to prevent mucus from dripping.

"You two went through so much!" she whimpered. Sam hid her eyes with a hand.

"I'm so proud of you two being great friends!" she cried. The girls were somber about Ash and Pikachu's story of before. The two looked befuddled at the three shedding twin waterfalls upon the tale.

"I know we're telling the truth but do they really need to act like we lost someone special?" he wondered.

("I think it's the onions,") Pikachu pondered. With one more sniffle, Clover faced the boys again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to choke up," she apologized. "I mean… you two have been together for a long time and the bond really shows. I wish the bond between the three of us was as strong." Pikachu understood the girls' reaction to the touching tale. That's when Clover had an idea involving the Pokémon. "If it's okay with you, we'd like to spend time with Pikachu." Ash and Pikachu looked to each other where the Electric Mouse nodded to the idea.

"If Pikachu agrees to it, I won't say no," he accepted. Pikachu leaped into Clover's open arms, not receiving the electric reaction she got in Versailles. As the girls showed Ash around the rest of the villa, Clover and Pikachu sat down to watch some television. The sun began to set and Ash decided to step out to the patio in the back which had a pool and a jacuzzi. Ash didn't take a dip, still fully clothed despite giving Pikachu his cap. Beyond the patio was a beach that lead out to the ocean. A picturesque view would make about anyone marvel. However, something seemed to bother Ash. He wasn't feeling happy, more flustered. From next door, a young raven-haired woman, skin as white as humanly possible, peered out a window to see Ash, bemused to who the boy was.

"When did those three decide to take a boy into their silly beach house?" she scorned. Through her binoculars, she observed the physical structure of the boy to eye on. "Sure, he's younger than those brats… Maybe he'd be better off here with me, not them." She soon saw Ash shake his head. "Goodness… I figured that he needed someone better than those three." Inside, Alex and Sam had concerns but not about Ash.

"Clover, you really think it's a good idea for Pikachu to sleep in your room?" questioned Alex. Clover and Pikachu blinked to the concern.

"We agreed that Pikachu can spend time at nights to snuggle with the three of us," she reassured.

"Well… yeah…" Sam hesitated. "But what about Mandy?" The name had Clover shiver. Pikachu blinked to the interest of the name.

("Who's Mandy?") he asked. The little mouse's squeaking alerted Clover to answer Pikachu.

"She's our rival and perhaps the biggest prick in Beverly Hills High!" she scowled.

"She tries everything to get us in trouble," Alex added while mulling. "The whole 'most popular girl in school!' façade she continues to paint."

"Not to mention her room next door is directly across from my room so Mandy can see what I'm doing, even if it's none of her business." Pikachu could sense problems if he spent a night in Clover's room.

"So I think tonight, you can be in Alex's room," Sam suggested.

("Sounds good,") Pikachu squeaked. Alex glanced to the patio deck to see Ash looking rather down.

"I wonder what's wrong now?" Before going to see Ash, a knock on the door. The girls looked about to panic. "Speak of the devil..." Sam quickly developed a plan. "I'll deal with Mandy. Clover, go check out what's wrong with Ash and Alex, take Pikachu to your room." The girls nodded before splitting up with Sam approaching the door and opening to see the raven-haired.

"Sam, what a pleasant surprise!" she greeted with some sarcasm.

"Hey, Mandy… What's up?"

"Well, I noticed that you have a rather curious young man hanging around the back. I didn't think you'd be capable of going after boys younger than yourselves." Sam realized Mandy referred to Ash and had to come up with a lie quickly.

"Oh, Ash… Yeah, that's Alex's cousin visiting us from Miami." Mandy seemed intrigued with Alex having family visiting her.

"You're kidding! That young guy's a family member? Why wasn't I aware of this?"

"Easy, you don't care what we tell you. In one ear, out the other involving us." Mandy didn't feel shameful for the ignorance.

"In any case, I was wondering if I could take Ash out one of these days? I could ask Alex if she's available." Now Sam felt cornered. To her going to get Alex would put Pikachu at risk of exposure. That's when she came up with a way to buy time.

"We're gonna get him situated around Beverly Hills before you can have a chance." To Mandy, Ash needed some comfort to the city before he's ready for the people around here.

"Yeah, it does sound better for him to be familiar in the 90210. I'd like to meet him as soon as possible. Well, goodnight." Mandy walked from the door back over to her house. Sam closed the door before applying her back on it and sliding down, grateful for her successful repel of their rival. Meanwhile, Clover heard Ash's story, sympathy risen among her.

"It wasn't a loss but a crushing defeat?" she guessed.

"Yeah," Ash replied. "A full six-on-six Pokémon battle. I had the Pokémon with me, plus Gliscor. He had Grotle's evolved form, Torterra, as well as Ursaring, Weavile, Electabuzz, Honchcrow and Magmortar. I could only knock two of Paul's Pokémon. He got momentum and I just… I couldn't find any ground to move in the battle. He wiped me out and my Pokémon looked beaten in more than just the battle." Clover felt that his Pokémon didn't want to fight anymore.

"They lost confidence in how you're able to command how they battled." Ash nodded, though ashamed to be clear.

"I mean… Dawn did try to help out in getting me back on my legs after the defeat… but I still hear Paul long after he won, still nagging at me in saying that I'm pathetic. That's why I was tired before the Unown brought me to that rift and Versailles." The tale of Ash suffering had Clover come over and give Ash a hug.

"Hey, it's best not to think about it now. It's not Lake Acuity. You'll have plenty of time to relax while here." Clover felt Ash's head bobbing. Sam recovered and saw the scene.

"Feeling better?" she asked. Ash and Clover broke their hug before facing Sam.

"Getting there. He told me about his worst loss." Suddenly, Clover thought of a way to help Ash's mood. "You know, a trip to the mall and some new duds may give our new ally a new head to his shoulders." Sam seemed interested with the idea.

"It always works with you. Some new threads he can take home when he's done here." To Ash, maybe something new to wear may help him in the long run.

"I can't see anything wrong with trying out something different," he believed. "We'll ask Alex about it and see if she's willing to go." Clover agreed, thinking that a trip wouldn't be without the three together. Tomorrow would be a nice, leisurely trip for new clothes… right?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Mall He Can Handle

_Chapter 4: Mall He Can Handle_

* * *

 _(Mall, Beverly Hills, CA, USA; 11:26)_

The mall… One place where the almighty dollar draws everyone together. The spies, agreeing to help Ash's depression, took him to the mall with Pikachu. He still felt the impact of a crushing loss to Paul back in his realm and help from his friends barely made a dent. The mall would offer some comfort with different clothes. In one clothing store, Clover sifted through a coat rack, some that have sewn-in earphones. "So, you're a guy who likes to travel a lot, right?" she recalled as she combed through the rack of spring jackets. She soon found a navy blue short-sleeve jacket. Ash, not wearing the black vest, hat and gloves, drove the sleeve through his arm. He noticed the fabric mesh within the sleeve.

"High tech fabric within?" he noticed.

"Well, kinda," Sam shrugged. "It keeps the wearer dry, absorbing sweat during… whenever you're out doing your thing." Ash could imagine going around any region back home with this.

"Really?" Pikachu had gone out somewhere before and returned with a navy blue visor that had white lightning bolt across the front with a gold outline.

("What do you think?") he squeaked. Ash and the girls looked down to see Pikachu's new headgear, bemused at his choice.

"Someone wants to be a San Diego Chargers fan," Alex teased. Pikachu blinked, confused to the name she offered. She removed the visor from Pikachu's head. "Though, you did give me an idea. A new cap for Ash. Something to show off when he and his Pokémon return to his friends." Ash pondered about having a new cap while here to bring home.

"Let's see what they have," he wanted to know. "Pikachu, where did you find this?" Pikachu led the teens to a series of shelves filled with different caps, some with sports logos, some with random logos and the rest completely blank. One hat caught Ash's interest, a green baseball cap that had a white eagle's head.

"Philadelphia Eagles?" guessed Sam.

"Well, the logo shows a fierce nature that I can see as it's going in fast for its prey. Not to mention my series of Flying-Type Pokémon that I've captured."

"So there you go," Alex smiled. Ash huffed a chuckle to the clothing options the girls chose for him. "Once we get this all paid up, how about we hit the cafe? I'm getting hungry." Clover could feel the rumble in her stomach.

"My tummy seconds the idea," she joked as she clutched the spot of the rumble. As they filed out of the department store with new clothes, plenty of teenagers had mostly filled the cafe area, plenty with various food on trays. A pair of teenage girls loitered around the cafe, no food on their table. The brunette showed the auburn-haired three tickets which the lighter-haired grew excited.

"Are those… tickets to the Teensicle concert next week?!" the excited auburn-haired guessed.

"That and they'll have their new album at the concert as well!" the brunette informed.

"That… is… AWESOME!" The brunette placed the tickets on the table.

"Yeah, my dad knew I'd be wanting to go to this. Too bad Tony didn't want to go."

"So that explains the extra ticket. Sorry, Tiffany. I could ask Diego but he's not a Teensicle fan." Tiffany consoled her friend for their boys not willing to go with the two. "If there was someone who can be the third member." That's when Tiffany spotted Ash and the spies after a stop by a shoes store where Ash got a pair of red foot-shaped shoes. That wasn't the only thing he carried and apparently, the spies got in on the act. Pikachu was on Alex's shoulder with Ash carrying the merchandise.

"We still have yet to hit up David's store," Clover opted. A smug look from Alex seemed to reveal Clover's intent.

"So that's your ploy," she sneered. "You go and see David while we babysit him." Tiffany gawked at her good fortune with the eying of Ash.

"Amber, over there!" she pointed out to her auburn-haired friend. They saw Ash, realizing their potential for a member to the concern.

"Pinch me!" shuttered Amber. "I'm dreaming!" To them, Ash would be perfect to go to the concert. "Let's ask him out when those girls step away."

"Good idea..." As Ash and the girls sat down, he wanted to know about David, someone Clover had an interest with.

"So who's David?" he asked. "Sounds like someone important to your lives."

"He's a dreamy hunk who works here, as you know," she explained. "A real hobby magnet. He's into art, guitars, poetry, nature, history..."

"Okay, Clover!" irked Sam. "No need to exaggerate how much you want him. How many boys have you dreamed to date?"

"Sam, you're also interested in him as well." Sam's point forced some nostalgia from Ash.

"That sounds awfully familiar, though it's more of a pain than pleasure," he groaned. Alex and Sam wondered what Ash brought up.

"You mean someone with the same interest in men?" questioned Alex.

"Well… more of the other way around. Ever since that night at Maiden's Peak, my friend has been asking about every 'beautiful' lady on dates. It doesn't help that Brock still does it, even if some of my other friends, or his Croagunk do all they can to pull him away." Sam and Alex blinked at this odd twist.

"You're joking..." gulped Sam.

"I'd wish. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise if, by any chance, he'd try and ask you three out." The three shuttered at the thought of someone like his friend. Only now did they realize the similarity between Brock and Clover. Even Clover couldn't believe that Ash befriended someone with peculiar behavior around certain people.

"So, our friends have equal reactions to seeing members of the opposite gender, is that right?" teased Alex.

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad!" denied Clover. "Besides, I recall you two drooling mad for David as well!"

"At least it's David and not a bunch of other guys!" mocked Sam. "Anyway, we should get some food. I know a kiosk that's right up Pikachu's alley." Pikachu grew interested with what Sam offered. The WOOHP agents left to get lunch. This left Ash all alone and a few girls making their approach. A little paper airplane landed on the table, bonking off the hardwood and Ash's knuckle. Ash looked at it, which had a number after unfolding.

555-8436

It looked to be a phone number. Before he could look around for the origin of the airplane, a raven-haired teen came by and slipped another paper on his desk. This one was also a phone number.

555-0218

How could Ash call these girls? He didn't have a cellphone. Tiffany and Amber made their way to Ash's table, not minding the numbers already handed to him.

"Hi, there," Amber greeted. "Seems you're getting plenty of attention."

"Yeah, I'm starting to notice," Ash fidgeted. Amber presented the tickets to Ash to see if he'd have an interest.

"Well, we're kinda bummed about our boyfriends not willing to go with us to the Teensicle concert next week. We thought you could be our company for the concert." Other girls came to Ash's defense, or their personal requests.

"No!" another girl protested as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want him! I gave him my cell!" A girl with glasses cupped Ash's head to get a kiss on his cheek.

"I think he's better with me," she argued. "Wouldn't you say so?" The girl wrapping his neck saw the kiss, puffing her cheeks.

"No fair! I wanna kiss him!" She did on the other cheek to a boy who seemed to be getting plenty of love. More girls began to pile on, wanting the only boy within sight. Somehow, Ash escaped and soon made a dash to flee. The girls got out of the pile and pursued while Pikachu and the WOOHP agents watched on.

"Did Ash do something to those girls?" asked Sam. Not even Pikachu could figure out the ordeal. One place was the arcade which he tried to play a fighting game with an older teen. The screaming forced him to back away.

"Okay, bad idea!" he regretted that spot. As soon as he created distance, he hid in a sporting goods department. The girls made their way around to the football section when they passed mannequins in football gear: helmet, shoulder pads, jersey, colored pants, cleats… Except one mannequin was Ash. Once the girls scurried to another aisle, Ash passed the ball away and disrobed, still wearing his clothing that he came in with. "I can see how Misty gets jealous when another girl's with me. Still, that's a lot more for me to take in." Without warning, though…

"Over here!" alerted someone. A young tanned brunette man waived him over. Ash reached and the man guided him to the fitting rooms. He unlocked one of them. "Duck in here!" Ash listened and entered the room. The young man closed the door just as the girls found him. Amber was the first to confront the brunette.

"Did you see a cute boy with dark hair around?" she asked. The brunette pointed in the direction, telling the girls their target was just ahead. Joshed, the girls dashed onward. No women in sight, the brunette backhanded the door to knock. Ash emerged from the fitting room.

"I don't think Brock could handle that many girls, let alone all at once," he gasped.

"Yeah, those girls can be a handful," he agreed. "At least you're okay. I'm David." The name of the young man brought back Clover's description before the spies drifted for food.

" _You're_ David, the young man Clover has a crush on?" Hearing the name of a familiar girl, David believed Ash knew her and her friends.

"So you know Clover, Samantha and Alexandra? That makes two of us." Ash and David shook hands as the spies and Pikachu found the boys in the midst of their handshake.

"I see you two have gotten acquainted," Sam noticed. Ash and David turned to the girls where Pikachu leaped from Alex to his trainer.

"Hi, David," Clover waived with blushing cheeks.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite girls," David huffed a giggle. "Had to bail your friend out of that mob."

"Yeah, sorry that happened," Alex apologized. "I suppose one of us should have been with him to keep the mob away from Ash." That's when David saw three girls, one of them being Mandy. One was a tanned raven-haired young woman in a magenta tank-top and purple pants while the other had midnight red hair and wearing similar pants but with a pink blouse with a flower imprinted on.

"How about them?" he pointed. Ash and the girls turned to Mandy as she had a girl on each side.

"Well, Clover and her two losers hanging around David as always," mocked the boisterous leader. The spies groaned at the trio who appeared.

"Just lovely," Clover mulled. Ash came around Alex, unknowingly supporting Alex's claim. "Mandy, Caitlin and Dominique. Come to ruin us?"

"Actually, we heard a commotion that led all the way here." That's when Mandy eyed Ash. Remembering last night, she grew a little suspicious about the new boy. "So you're the cousin from Florida. For someone rather younger than me, he's got a look I can chance on." Alex blinked at how Mandy described Ash.

"Florida?" she whispered to Sam.

"I had to think up something on the fly," she admitted. Clover came forward and nudged Mandy back to defend Ash.

"Back off, Mandy!" she warned. "We brought him here to make him feel better about what he's going through! This is the last thing he needs!" Mandy wasn't having any of Clover's denials.

"Please, hanging around you will further bother him! Besides, you're better suited with that icky mouse." Pikachu growled from the insult. Worse, Mandy pushed Clover back to David, who caught her before she fell on her backside. David grew frustrated with Mandy's behavior. With a snap of her fingers, her two partners walked to Ash and hoisted him by the shoulders. Mandy closed in, cupping the Pallet Town Trainer. "Now I can claim your lips and reign as my new boyfriend." She leaned in to kiss but Pikachu knew what to do to defend his master. He leaped high before emitting a massive wave of electricity. The electric attack shocked the girls and Ash for several seconds. Once Pikachu relented, the four caught in the shock collapsed but Ash recovered almost immediately. A few bursts of smoke popped and Mandy and her two cohorts now had puffed-up Afros. Pikachu came to Ash, concerned if he was hurt by the new trio.

"I'll be fine, Pikachu," he assured. Sam and Alex helped Ash on his feet.

"David, I am _so_ sorry about all this," Clover apologized.

"No, you didn't do anything to deserve that retribution," David forgave. "And I gotta say… where in Florida do you have electrified mice? Tampa?" The spies could tell David but they believed he wouldn't understand. Mandy's friends were the first to awaken.

"Did that rodent tasered us?" asked the redhead. When they felt their hair all puffy, they freaked out with screams.

"Our hair!" they screeched. They tried to get their hair down with their nails but it did little. Clover snickered as she took out a camera.

"I know social media's gonna love this," she cheered as she snapped a few photos. After a few snaps, the group departed.

* * *

 _(Villa, Beverly Hills, CA, USA; 18:55)_

Back at the villa, Ash and the girls sat at the glass table as Pikachu felt terrible about the ordeal. Speaking of, the spies felt worse. The trip to the mall wasn't suppose to be as stressful as it did. "Ash, we can't tell you how bad we feel about the trip to the mall today," Sam mulled. "We only meant to help you get over your anguish from that loss."

"I mean… we didn't expect a group of girls to approach and swarm you, less Mandy and her goons," Alex added. Ash understood their motive for the trip.

"It's alright, guys," he shrugged off. "I had a good time up to when those girls asked me out."

"Yeah, but still..." A slight giggle jerked heads to Clover on a laptop computer with Pikachu gazing at the screen. Clover uploaded photos of Mandy and her friends after Pikachu shocked them.

"What do you think?" she asked. "This one? Or this one?" Pikachu looked at the photos before deciding.

("I like this one!") he chose.

"Yeah, that one is good!" The other girls didn't appreciate Clover's inability to join.

"Don't you have something to say to Ash about today, Clover?" questioned Sam. Hearing her fellow spy, Clover looked up at the girls and Ash.

"Listen, don't fall for anything that witch Mandy has to say. You're too good of a kid to go out with someone like her, Caitlin or Dominique." Ash bobbed his head, understanding Clover. Night fell and Clover had Pikachu tonight. As Ash slept on the couch, Sam awakened to use the bathroom. A flush of the toilet and washing his hand, she exited with relief.

"Hate going to bed on a full bladder..." she groaned. Before going to her room, she looked to Ash on the couch. Noticing his peaceful face to Ash. "Hard to believe his face when he's known to have a fierce nature back home." She began to feel entranced to Ash's innocent figure. "I doubt it'll hurt to have someone sleep with him for one night." Sam crawled over him and partially removed the blanket. Once under the blanket, she wrapped an arm over Ash's shoulders and quickly fell asleep. After all the chaos Ash endured, he could finally have peace… if only for one day.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Brotherly Love and the City

_Chapter 5: Brotherly Love and the City_

* * *

 _(Villa, Beverly Hills, CA, USA; 06:56)_

The new morning arisen in Beverly Hills. Wanting to check her computer, Clover woke up and crawled out of bed in a silky pink nightgown. She turned the computer in her room on as Pikachu slept soundly. Online, she found the photos of Mandy after Pikachu shocked her, Dominique and Caitlin. Their hair puffed up from the electricity in the shock. Clover laughed, waking the mouse. Stirring, he wondered about Clover's chortle. ("You're awake!") he squeaked. Clover saw comments on the photos about Mandy and there were some good ones.

IS THAT A NEW LOOK FOR MANDY? LOL

I ALWAYS PREFERRED THE AFRO ON GIRLS. THIS IS AWESOME!

DID YOU ASK WHERE SHE GOT THAT GAUDY HAIRSTYLE? I THINK IT FITS BETTER ON ME.

THANX FOR GIVING ME A NEW REASON TO DISLIKE MANDY, CLOVER! PIC IS GREAT!

The comments and likes to the photos continued to mount. Pikachu came over to see the activity. "Apparently, you're not the only one who likes these photos," she pointed out. "This one has 400 thumbs up and over 200 shares across the internet. And a lot of people dig this one, too." Pikachu laughed to the damage he caused. Before long, the two stepped out to have breakfast. "Okay, I'm gonna feed you an apple. It's too early for ketchup." Pikachu mulled but understood Clover's explanation. He rushed to the couch to find Ash. However, he also found Sam with him on the same couch, under the same set of blankets. An apple in her hand, Clover closed the refrigerator and noticed Pikachu's odd behavior as he back-stepped from the two. "Pikachu?" Curious, she came to see the oddity as Alex stepped out of her room, eying Clover's curiosity.

"What's up?" she asked. Reaching and looking, Clover's eyes just about exited her head to the sight of snuggling. Alex saw Clover take a step backwards in a stunned silence. "This should be good..." On arrival, Alex circled around Clover and also glimpsed at the two on the couch. Disbelief, Alex wanted to laugh but she covered her mouth, allowing her cheeks to puff up. She ran out of the villa, wearing a tank-top and shorts, before laughing so loud, jackhammers would be deafened. Eventually, Ash and Sam woke up and had breakfast themselves. Later on in the morning, Ash found a surfboard and paddled out to sea through the beach. Wearing only a pair of blue swimming trunks, Ash swam belly-down on the surfboard to catch waves as Clover watched using binoculars.

"So he can surf? I'd like to see how he does in this pond." Being about a quarter of a mile away from shore, Ash caught a wave and leaped up on the surfboard as Buizel and Grotle cheered him on. Sam stepped out and watched Ash bounced each wave.

"Looking good..." she chuckled. Ash looked professional out on the water. If he had more wind, he'd try to form a pipeline. He already shot some curls. Clover offered a sneer to Sam about the finding.

"So, what was it like sleeping with Ash?" The question made Sam jump.

"Wha- What are you talking about?!"

"Come on, Samantha… Alex, Pikachu and I saw you and Ash snuggled together. What, was he watching a romantic movie and you wanted to see it too?"

"N-No!" Alex heard Clover's fun, willing to join in.

"Did you have a nightmare that you wanted Ash's protection?" she teased.

"No way! I just got up to use the bathroom and wanted to check in on Ash to make sure he's okay!" Ash reached the beach with his Pokémon to greet him.

"Then why did you snuggle with him?" questioned Clover. Sam feigned an answer. Ash headed back out to the water for another run with Buizel in tow. As the spies watched on, they soon felt an interest to Ash. "Have either one of you wanted a brother before WOOHP became our lives?" The question had the other two reflecting on having Ash around their villa.

"I did before I graduated elementary school," Alex recalled. "I suddenly rethought when a few friends told me about their little brother looking through their diaries, wearing their makeup… The stories told me that being an only child was better for me." For Sam, Clover's question saw what Ash would be to them.

"Maybe but Ash seems like the ideal little brother we all wanted," she studied. "Overall, he _is_ concerned about us. He doesn't do what other little brothers tend to do." Ash began his second run with Buizel as spotter.

"I'm guessing that's why you slept with him," Alex assumed. "Trying to play the _Big Sister_ to him..."

"That's enough, you two-" That's when a scream exploded from next door. In the shower, Mandy's hair was full of electricity from Pikachu's discharge. The water, in hopes of washing the static from her new hairstyle that she never asked for, actually made her situation worse. Her body damp from washing herself, the static covered and shocked her. Her blood-curdling scream got the attention of the spies and Pokémon, but Ash got it the worst as the scream caught him on a wave which twisted his surfboard and tripped him to a belly-flop.

"Get this static from my body!" she yelled. Surfacing with some discomfort and aided by Buizel, Ash pulled himself back onto the surfboard.

"Who knew getting a new hairstyle involved a Thunderbolt?" teased Clover. Back on land, Ash carried the surfboard back to the villa as Sam began piecing Clover's quip.

"But I'll admit," she started. "It actually feels nice to have a bo- _young man_ help out around here. David is David and if anyone of us has him as a boyfriend, we can agree that he'll be claimed. After all, there are more guys out there to enjoy."

"As there are more girls in the same stat," Ash added. Alex nodded to their boy who felt happy about having him over since his arrival.

"I was meaning to ask this," she opened up. "This Brock… What is he, anyway? I mean, other than some guy acting like Clover."

"He's a former Pokémon Gym Leader and learning to become a great Pokémon Breeder." The news irked the spies to believing Ash's friend wasn't as good as they believed.

"I'm starting to think this Brock wants to have a kid of his own," Sam whispered to Alex.

"What?" she gasped. Before Ash could explain more, the pool suddenly emptied. Ash's Pokémon gather when a vacuum sucked everyone into the pool and deeper.

* * *

 _(WOOHP HQ, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 08:33)_

A door for a tunnel opened and Ash, his Pokémon and the spies fell through. Staraptor flew to avoid the pile by everyone else in front of Jerry's desk. "No matter how many times, I'll never get used to Jerry's calling," Alex groaned. Clover slowly recovered but gawked at something else.

"How about that?" she pointed out. Alex looked to see Sam on top of Ash… and their lips kissing. Clover, Alex and Pikachu gawked at the young man getting a kiss from the older redhead who had slept with him last night, who had watched over him since the blast in Versailles and made sure he'd be okay to watch his Pokémon. Sam sprung up, beet red face from the kiss.

"Sorry!" she stammered. "That was an accident!" Ash didn't seem bothered by the smooch.

"It's alright..." he eased as he got to his feet. Alex and Clover couldn't hold back on their laughter, taunting and goads for the sight in front of them.

"Are you sure there's nothing between you two?" cackled Alex.

"I think someone's afraid of losing their little teddy bear!" teased Clover. Steamed at first, Sam soon had a comeback that sounded guaranteed to shut her friends up.

"Well, since we're going on this mission, perhaps you'd like to kiss him too?" she offered. The girls stopped everything. They had no witty comeback of their own.

"Okay, girls..." Jerry spoke up. "Why don't you get suited up for your mission while Ash and I clean this mess." Obeying, the girls left for their work wardrobe. "Anyway, I'm glad you came as well. I know you're not really a WOOHP agent but your help is most necessary." Ash turned to Jerry with query.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"While I send the girls to do an investigation on our crowning thief, I'll send you on a search and report mission in Philadelphia. Apparently, a new line of fragrances have gained popularity online mere days after launching the product." To Ash, it was a chance to see more of the world.

"Doesn't sound unusual…"

"Perhaps not, until the color and name of the brand came to my attention." Jerry uploaded a photo of two bottles filled with familiar blue liquid. One was shaped like an "M" only to have a straight bar instead of the triangle on the top. It also had a spray nozzle under the middle stem. The other looked like a tall tidal wave starting to break. "These items are Mac'sashi Cool Blue fragrances. The M is the cologne and the other bottle is the perfume."

"Hold on." Ash approached the screen and noticed the liquid. "You believe the cologne and perfume may be the same drug used in France?"

"It may be speculation but knowing the effects of exposure, I'd rather not take risks if it means people's safety and WOOHP's reputation." Ash began to understand the circumstances going into this.

"I'd wanna assist you guys since you've helped me and my Pokémon. I can do this." Jerry sensed the confidence with Ash.

"Much appreciated. Now, aside from some new gear, I have a pair of hi-tech sunglasses to try out." With a press of a button, a set of sunglasses rose. Ash picked the sunglasses and put them on.

"A little weighty..."

"Yes, you see, these sunglasses have a few functions like built-in microphones on each bow and a built-in camcorder around your forehead." Ash removed the sunglasses and saw the camcorder lens, invisible from yards away.

"Pretty handy..." That's when he noticed a switch on each ear loop. "What about these?"

"Switches… The left lets you control audio and/or video. The images and sound will be automatically sent here. I'll monitor the situation from my desk. The right only works with the video. You control the zoom of the lens."

"Okay, I can work with that." Jerry had more to offer, this time in a small device that fit in the palm of his hand. It also had earphones and a tiny microphone on the string.

"This may look like a small MP3 player. However, this will be our way of communication since I'll be walking you through this operation."

"I can keep it concealed. And since this involves no action, I won't be needing my Pokémon for this?"

"I'm afraid so." Pikachu and Monferno argued in urgency to protect their trainer.

"Guys, I'll be fine. If you did come with me, we'll stick out in the crowd." Reluctant to accept, the Pokémon understood the circumstances.

"All of you will be fed before we bring you back to the villa. Meantime, there is a locker with an ideal disguise. Once dressed, you'll be on your way to Philadelphia." A nod allowed Ash to head to a room to change but not before the spies exited in their jumpsuits. Seeing Ash heading to the locker had Clover questioning the purpose.

"Where's he going?" she asked.

"I have him on an easier task. Come with me, girls! Your gadgets await." Clover and Sam looked to each other, shrug shoulders and move on. Alex rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, if it works out, we'll be back before dinner," she promised.

"Sure thing," Ash hoped before entering to change. Soon enough, both sides headed out for their missions.

* * *

 _(Philadelphia, PA, USA; 14:40)_

A young man in a hooded red spring jacket and windbreaker pants began jogging up a large flight of stone stairs to a museum with the entrance on top. The jacket had a blue patch with a white bell and "Phillies" on it. With little effort, the young man reached the top in a minute. Turning around, the young man looked out to the city from the top of the steps. One man saw the climb to see what else he could do. "Come on!" he yelled. "Finish it! Be Rocky!" Looking at the man, the hooded youngster glanced at the one cheering for him.

"What are you talking about?" he voiced, revealing himself to be Ash.

"What? Never seen the movies?" Ash shook his head. "Any boxing you know of?" The request made Ash realize what he needed.

"You mean this?" Ash bopped a little to gain rhythm. Then, he began throwing jabs and hooks, adding a few crosses and uppercuts to the mix. The man enjoyed Ash's exhibition.

"That's it! Wow, a natural! Thanks!" The man left which Ash, an earphone worn, began putting the sunglasses over his face.

"Okay, Jerry… Tell me where to go."

"Give me a moment," Jerry asked. "Let's see… Ah! Here we go! You'll see it bumping on pretty soon." A map soon emerged on the lens of Ash's sunglasses. "By the way, I'm getting an indication that you're at Philadelphia's Museum of Art. Have you done the Rocky moment?" Ash groaned at Jerry's question.

"Not you too..."

"Oh, sorry! Anyway, make sure you don't act suspicious toward the facilities." Ash scampered down the stairs before continuing on his trek. Half an hour later, he found a fragrance parlor. To the map on his sunglasses, this was the origin of the online sales spike.

"This seems to be the spot." Ash watched as a young woman exited with the items Jerry warned him about. "They have it alright." Before Ash could move in, a pair of gloved hands snatched Ash around the hip and mouth, keeping from screaming. The hands dragged Ash down a back alley, out of sight from the parlor. Free from eyes, Ash broke away and turned to his attempted kidnapper… only to find two. One was an ice-violet haired man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses with blue slacks. The other was a white cat with gold oval coin stuck on its forehead.

"Twerp, it's us!" the ice-violet tried to ease. Ash grew angry at their appearance.

"Sorry, Team Rocket! Pikachu's not with me!"

"What do you mean Pikachu's not with you?!" the cat growled. The ice-violet stomped on the cat's head to stop.

"Meowth, not important right now!" he scolded. "Yes, normally, we'd be after Pikachu but have you noticed someone not here?" Ash looked, realizing a subtraction to the group.

"Wait, where's Jessie?" he figured out.

"That's what we wanted to talk about." Ash took off his sunglasses before adjusting the dial onto the A position.

"Just wanna make sure they're straight…" As Ash reapplied the sunglasses, Jerry received notice of the sunglasses' activation. "I'm surprised you guys would follow me outside of our world."

"Can you blame us?" groaned Meowth. Pikachu growled at the sound of an enemy of theirs. "We're trying to appease our boss by any means necessary." Jerry could tell Pikachu didn't appreciate the voices.

"I can tell that these people are ones you don't like," he assumed. Pikachu's scorning squeak confirmed.

"By the way," Ash continued the conversation. "How did you get here from… wherever you guys were trying to trap us next?"

"Foolish twerp," Meowth scoffed. "We saw youse chasing dose Unown and we followed. Den, we lost you in dat weird city with some language even I don't know about." It sounded like Team Rocket ended up in Versailles as Ash and Pikachu did.

"Figures..."

"Yes, well..." the ice-violet wanted to add. "Not long after we arrived across the ocean did Jessie take notice of some handsome young man running that new line of beauty products." Ash figured it had to do with the same line of products Ash chased as well.

"You mean the Mac'sashi products?"

"That's it, but it was named Mac's Products before Jessie came in and fell for him." Jerry sensed familiarity but needed to be certain.

"Ash, ask if you can get a description of this young man," he ordered. "The name of the line sounds like someone I should know but it's better to have the information for detail." Ash nodded to the order.

"What did he look like?"

"Brunette, blue business suit, clever smile..." the ice-violet listed. "He also spoke rather coy, even I felt humbled by his words." Jerry listened intently to the information.

"James probably should say we found dere business factory nearby," Meowth added. Ash and Jerry blinked at this bit of detail.

"The line's made locally?" the raven-haired asked. "That could explain the boom in the products' sales..." That's when James made one more point that stopped Ash and Jerry cold.

"It doesn't help that the police are involved in the line," he added. The two listening gawked at the information. It sounded surreal.

"I can't believe it," Jerry shuttered. "Police corruption? In the city of Brotherly Love?" To Ash, this became serious. Studying the information, he wondered if he could use the sunglasses to catch the action for proof.

"You said this factory is local," he recalled. "Can you show me where?"

"Absolutely," James agreed. "It's this way."

"Alright but no funny business. I don't have Pokémon but I can fight with some boxing. And since we're not back in our world, those laws don't apply here." James and Meowth shuttered in the thought that he could knock some sense into them.

"I nearly forgot about dat detail," the Alley Cat Pokémon gulped. James led the way with Meowth close at hand.

"This could be big if what they're saying is true, Jerry."

"The mere thought doesn't feel too comfortable to comprehend," Jerry murmured. "Just remain on guard." Ash began to pursue the information, hoping to find a connection to the drugs in Versailles and the fragrances in Philadelphia. Are the police involved in this work? And could it affect the spies down the road?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…

 _(Okay, an update on future stories. After the next chapter in GX, I'll step aside to do a comical Pokémon one-shot before resuming. When I finish either of these stories, I'll be doing a Pokémon story and one with Digimon. I'd like to see you guess this pairing. Also, the polls that I've suspended have shown me what fanfics you want me to do: The Legend of Zelda and Teen Titans. I'll have the polls refreshed for 2017 as the next poll will be Volume 6.)_


	6. Lovelorn Addiction

_Chapter 6: Lovelorn Addiction_

* * *

 _(Philadelphia, PA, USA; 16:05)_

After a long walk to find evidence, Ash, James and Meowth found a stone and barb-wired wall in front of a warehouse. Arriving in Philadelphia, Ash was in the search for the source of the drug used in Versailles. He didn't have Pikachu on him. "Is this it?" asked Ash.

"Yep, it's here," Meowth confirmed. Ash adjusted his sunglasses to the camera switch. He reapplied the sunglasses before looking to the factory again.

"Not much is on display but what is that smell? It's nauseating." The potent scent made started to sicken Ash.

"I'm not sure but even out here, the smell isn't inviting," James acknowledged the irritating aroma. Jerry, safely away at WOOHP headquarters, viewed Ash's live feed when he found someone on a window sill.

"Ash, view the man, top left corner of my view!" he instructed. Ash turned up to a pale bald man with flaking skin looking dazed. He seemed disoriented. "The effects of drug addiction. It can be frightening." Ash took note of the man's failing physique.

"That better not be me when I grow up," he gulped. James looked to the street and saw overhead lights on a black and white car. He dragged Ash and Meowth behind a pile of garbage. The gate opened and the car entered through the entrance. Ash and James stood back up and viewed the car coming out, the side of the vehicle reading "PITTSBURGH PD." To Ash and Jerry, this felt off. "It couldn't be just me. What's a Pittsburgh officer doing here in Philadelphia?" The officer came out of his patrol car to confront a muscled chestnut brunette man with a package.

"Here you go!" the officer presented. "Delivery from Columbus! The stuff from Milwaukee should be here in two days."

"Thanks for the update," the muscled man greeted. "Tim's idea not only helps these users but saves money on both ends."

"Tell me about it, it's easier this way than destroying the evidence." Hearing the conversation, Jerry mulled to the name, now connecting the dots.

"Back to your old tricks again, Tim Scam?" he growled lowly. Ash heard Jerry's snarl through the earphone. He turned to the patrol car, now backing out of the warehouse.

"Gotta head back before my chief finds out about where I've been!" the officer reminded. The muscled man waived the other a farewell before going back inside. Ash, James and Meowth ducked back down before the muscled man spotted them.

"You were right, that's some bad cop business," Ash believed. "No question that it's full of street drugs used to make the fragrances." James and Meowth gulped at the sudden conclusion to what could have been in the package.

"Drugs?" repeated Meowth. "Like bad stuff to da body?" This made James suspicious about how Ash could determine the contents.

"How would you know about it?" he questioned. Instead of panicking and trying not to exploit the organization he's working for, Ash never hesitated with an answer.

"I was nearly exposed to it when Pikachu used Thunderbolt to bail me out," he recalled. Hearing about Pikachu's aid made the other two fall for his fib.

"I would've expected nothing less from your loyal Pokémon," Meowth understood. Ash dug in his pocket to pull a camera and handed it to Meowth.

"Anyway, here's my plan: Meowth, I'll need you to break in the warehouse and photograph anything inside. Your size and speed should help you sneak around the warehouse." Now the two Rockets became skeptical about aiding an enemy.

"Hold the Phione! Why should we help you when you won't help us?" Ash felt the pressure of the Alley Cat Pokémon's question, only to come up with an answer that sent him and the other to a corner.

"You two and Jessie are wanted back home, but not here. If Jessie's inside and taking the drugs, she'll need immediate attention. Also, you'll be deemed Good Samaritans among the city." Meowth pondered the possibility of the honor.

"It does feel good to be good guys once in a while," James trusted. "And if Meowth's in a sticky wicket, I've got Carnavine to help out." Only now did Meowth wondered about Ash's role.

"Okay but how about youse, twerp?" he mewed.

"I'm gonna make some contacts to get information on that squad car from Pittsburgh and their extra connections to Columbus and Milwaukee," he lied. James bought the fib once more, remembering that Ash had no Pokémon on hand.

"Just be careful, twerp." The boys broke where Ash hid once more, his only other contact having information to their prime suspect.

"Tim Scam, you said?"

"Yes, and the name of the business should have been a red flag from the start," Jerry mulled. "He pulled a similar stunt spelling his name backwards." The information gave Ash some insight to who the ringleader could be.

"Crafty. Now I wonder why Jessie would chase such a crook? I mean, she's far from an honest woman herself."

"Yes, well… Since I have no background of this Team Rocket in the WOOHP files…"

"I figured not."

"Okay, I'll send an escort to bring you back to the villa. I'll upload the rendezvous point."

"Understood." Ash headed out to the rendezvous spot, on his way back to California.

* * *

 _(Villa, Beverly Hills, CA, USA; 17:10)_

Ash returned and expected Clover, Alex and Sam to arrive back. His Pokémon also returned to his possession. Buizel swam around the pool while the rest chose to relax in other places like the beach or the roof like Staraptor. Ash looked the least relaxed as he leaned on the railing with the sunglasses above his eyes. No Clover, no Alex… nor even Sam. "I hope they're alright," he murmured. As he stood back up, he received unexpected visitation.

"There's my piece of eye-candy!" sounded Mandy. Ash turned, wearing the sunglasses properly, to the neighbor wearing a puffed cap. "Still staying with those losers, I take it?" Ash didn't want to reveal his new friends' secret identities to someone who could take advantage of their jobs.

"They've got errands for their moms so they're out."

"And they left you home alone. This is too perfect for me to have my way with you." Nerved, Ash itched around his ear where he adjusted the dial to Video mode. Jerry wasn't on his computer back at WOOHP HQ but his desktop machine began recording.

"I'll admit, you don't look good with that hat on. It's a bit oversize." Mandy didn't want a reminder of what happened at the mall.

"Your filthy rat did this to me, and I can't get this static out! Plus, every time I shower, I get zapped for some reason!" This interested Ash some of his Pokémon.

"Let me see!" He reached over to snag the bill. Mandy didn't want Ash to see the bothersome hair, grabbing his arm to push away.

"Stop! Don't!" Ash managed to win the struggle and yanked the hat from her head. What emerged from beneath would horrify as the Afro giving by Pikachu had formed shapes of lightning bolts all over. "I said don't!"

"Yeah, that's a problem." Buizel and Monferno ducked away, holding their laughter. Ash wanted to give some sympathy to Mandy with a treatment. "Grab a bucket of sand and bury your hair for a solid ten minutes. Afterward, wash the sand out and your hair should be back to normal." Mandy huffed a chuckle to Ash's good nature.

"It's not your first rodeo with electrified hair. Of course, I would've wanted to use a method of lure to make you come to my will." Ash's eyebrow lifted in curiosity.

"I'm surprised that you'd want to ask someone younger than yourself out." Mandy never let their age difference bother her.

"True, but I'd rather have someone who can outrun a crowd for the right girl." That's when she brought out a bottle of perfume. Ash's heart seemed to skip a beat. The tidal wave-shaped bottle was one from the Philadelphia warehouse.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"The Mac'Sashi Cool Blue perfume! Wasn't that expensive of a bottle and made the purchase online. Pretty soon, the only girl you'll make love to… is me." Watching the bottle risen to be sprayed, Ash couldn't hold back.

"Mandy, that perfume will kill you!" Mandy jumped at Ash's plea. "Whatever you do, unscrew the bottle and throw it in the air!" The gawk from Mandy told Ash that she couldn't perform his command.

"Are you stupid?! It's still a good fortune on its shipping and handling!"

"What do you value more: your good looks or your life?!" Mandy scoffed at Ash's pleas for her to discard the dangerous Mac'Sashi bottle.

"See? Those girls' influence has warped your logic. They don't have the same fashion sense as me, Caitlin and Dominique." To Ash, Mandy's friends sampled the toxic bottle. He hurdled the fence before sprinting next door. Mandy thought her words finally reached through his head. "A little persuasion always does the trick." Pikachu joined Ash in thinking of a crisis. When Ash pried the door open, he saw the other two from the mall, all with similar hairstyles to Mandy but sprawled and convulsing. Watching Mandy and Pikachu nearing, Ash stood to the side for the rival to see the crisis. She ran to one of the two. "Caitlin?!" She lifted the head of Caitlin as Ash checked Dominique. "Caitlin, wake up! Caitlin!" The girl didn't respond to anything. Ash peered to the floor, finding another bottle.

("They had more?") squeaked Pikachu.

"I knew it…" Ash muttered. Mandy shook harder to stir Caitlin but this made her more panicked.

"Come on, Caitlin!" cried Mandy. Nothing worked. Ash had to take charge.

"Mandy, call for an ambulance! They need medical attention!" Mandy heard the advice, not willing to let her friends die. She rushed to another room to call paramedics. It also bought Ash time to relay Jerry through a cellphone.

"Ash, I'm viewing the tall-tale signs from those sunglasses," the CEO of WOOHP noted. "I'll be joining shortly."

"Got it." In minutes, an ambulance arrived with a pair of gurneys. Jerry stood by Ash as both of Mandy's friends boarded a stretcher and rolled out to the medical truck.

"This is the 25th case today about these fragrances," groaned an EMT. "Why hasn't there been a recall on this?"

"Keep in mind, there are cases throughout the country, so you're not alone," the other EMT worker pointed out. Rolled to the ambulance, Jerry had a slip of paper. The two worked together to board each girl.

"Here!" he offered to the EMT workers. "This should be the treatment for the poison from those fragrances!" One EMT studied the slip.

"We don't have it on board but I'll inform Pharmacy to prep some for all these cases!" Although concerned for her friends' well-being, Mandy turned to Ash after reapplying her headgear. She felt comforted knowing her friends were in good hands with the EMT workers.

"Maybe after this crisis is over, we can spend some time at a restaurant I go to!" she urged a date. "Trust me, those losers can spend as much time with that filthy rat while we have fun!" Ash cringed at Mandy's hatred to Pikachu.

"Take care of your friends before you insult mine!" He slammed the door to a stunned foe of the girls. The ambulance soon left as Mandy steamed from the backlash.

"Very protective of Pikachu, I noticed," Jerry scoffed.

"Can you blame me?" With the ambulance out of view, Jerry suddenly received a message from his watch. It read "SOS." Jerry knew the message came from the spies and cringed.

"This isn't good. It's a beacon from the girls." Ash sensed the issue, an idea of where to go.

"I think we should get to headquarters." Jerry nodded. They headed back to the villa.

"Fortunately, I can WOOHP us there in a minute."

* * *

 _(WOOHP HQ, Los Angeles, CA, USA- 20:36)_

Ash, Jerry and Pikachu tapped on the computer to find the beacon's origins. A map of the world popped up, hoping to find the signal. A flashing dot appeared toward the bottom of the map. Tapping a few keys toward the dot, it revealed a continent which the dot seemed placed at the edge of a small country. "It looks like the base is adjacent to the coastline of Portugal," he studied. To Ash, this was within the vicinity of where the spies traveled to attain information.

"Someone knew you'd sent those three back toward France," Ash guessed. "Tim Scam a step ahead of you?"

"Wouldn't be the first time he did. Tim's vastly intelligent and cunning so any misstep can give him an advantage." Suddenly, a notification entered the screen: an envelope. "Looks like mail from Scam." He opened it, revealing a crimson-blood redhead in a white uniform with an "R" on the shirt.

"Well, hello… WOOHP people!" she greeted. Ash groaned at the face of the woman.

"Speak of the Houndoom..." he murmured. "Jessie's with him."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important. You see, the object of my affection has a message for all of you! Timmy?" Jessie stepped aside to see a rather young brunette man as James and Meowth described.

"Thank you," he praised. "Jerry Lewis, my old nemesis… How do you like my new concoction? Not only does it have recycled materials but it's incredibly affordable, especially in America's period of economic crisis." Jerry could only speculate Tim's scheme.

"You wouldn't be contacting me unless you did something to my girls," he debated. Tim scoffed and turned to the side.

"Jessie?" On cue, Jessie pulled a rope to reveal Clover, Sam and Alex unconscious and on backboards held up by shackles across their wrists, ankles and necks. Jerry, Ash and Pikachu cringed. "Now, don't worry. We won't harm them. After all, WOOHP only has these three so your hands are rather full." Jessie taunted the camera with playful waives. "Besides, the operation has yet to hit a snag. Working with undercover behind their so-called badges has proven more beneficial than I imagined. Now sit back and watch the magic inflict the people into euphoria." He ended the feed after reaching pass the screen. Jerry felt the pressure. His spies have been captured. To Ash, he felt his need to stop Tim and Jessie and rescue the girls.

"Ash..."

"Jerry, I know that you don't have a lot of options, but..."

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask for your help." Ash blinked at Jerry's sudden idea. To him, Jerry trusted Ash to save Clover, Alex and Sam. The next second, he smiled.

"Yes, sir." Ash needed to prepare himself for the rescue around Portugal. If he had to deal with Jessie, he and Pikachu wanted to plan for the attack on Tim Scam.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Can't Ketchum

_Chapter 7: Can't Ketchum_

* * *

 _(Off the coast of New Jersey, USA; 07:44)_

Ash knew he was the only person to rescue the WOOHP agents. The video showed Clover, Sam and Alex held captive by Tim Scam and his apparent partner-in-crime, Jessie. Her other partners, Team Rocket's James and Meowth, had been searching since they somehow arrived in Philadelphia. Beach side on the east coast with Jerry and other WOOHP members, Ash and Pikachu prepared for a dangerous mission located by Portugal's coastline. "It would take a man to try this new experimental vehicle," Jerry mulled at what appeared to be an oversize torpedo. "Unfortunately, not only are you the only young man for the job, time isn't necessarily on our side with the girls in mortal danger." Ash could care less about the untested machine.

"Relax, Jerry," he assured. "I promise to bring the three back safely. Tim's got a surprise coming and it'll be more than the Pokémon." One man came forward to address the tester.

"We're ready to launch the Torpedo Boat," he informed. Jerry nodded to the setup.

"I've determined that the signal's coming from the coastline near the city of Porto," he explained. "The Torpedo Boat will take you to the signal but that's when it'll transform into a life raft. There, your equipment will be of use. Aside from the oxygen tanks to help you and Pikachu reach the base, I also have gear for this mission." Ash saw the table full of equipment but he wanted to have none of them.

"Jerry, all I need is Pikachu and a few of my Pokémon," he refused. "Nothing else." Jerry seemed stunned with the denial. He picked a pouch to offer Ash.

"Well, if anything, take this. If the girls have taken the drug, I fear Tim may overdose them. This way, the drugs will dissolve without entering the bloodstream." Ash felt he had no choice but to take the medicine.

"Better safe than sorry." He made his way to the Torpedo Boat. The steel capsule opened from the side. Ash entered and grabbed a handle to pull himself to the soft bed-like cushion. A technician strapped him on the side.

"Now it will take a few hours to get there so try and grab some rest," he instructed. "You should have a smooth ride until the alarms go off. You'll have two minutes to set up for the mission. Once the time is up, the Torpedo Boat will surface and you'll be set." Ash nodded before the technician sealed the door. Giving the thumb up, pulleys lowered the untested vehicle down the shaft. It entered a chamber which closed. The chamber filled with water. As soon as it reached the level of the ocean, the pouring stopped.

"Pressure levels regulating," another technician surveyed. "Will launch in T-minus two minutes." Jerry applied an earphone to communicate.

"How are you feeling inside?" he asked.

"I now know how May felt that one time with Pikachu and Manaphy," Ash replied.

"Anyway, you've got less than two minutes to feel comfortable. The Torpedo Boat will launch soon." Ash took a deep breath in the dark space. The gate opened as beneath the ocean's surface. Another technician counted down from 30 seconds. "Godspeed, Ash." When the technician shouted zero, one more pulled a lever. In a massive blast, the cannon fired the Torpedo Boat now on its way to Porto. All Ash and Pikachu could do was wait for the boat to surface.

* * *

 _(Tim Scam's Base; Off the coast of Porto, Portugal; 15:34)_

Alex, Sam and Clover woke to find themselves in a cage. Needless to say that the three suffered disorientation. "What happened?" asked Clover as all three clutched their heads.

"I don't know," Sam groaned. "I don't think we're still in London." Someone else entered and she was more than willing to gloat about the ordeal.

"WOOHP's best agents being mere twerpettes?" mocked Jessie. "No wonder my big Timmy has such a hard time alone." The spies cringed at Jessie's appearance.

"Suddenly, Mandy looks a heck of a lot better than her," Clover compared with a grit on her face.

"Tell me about it," Alex agreed. "Ever hear of moderation? You've got more makeup on than we do in six months combined!" Jessie growled at Alex's remark.

"Have you no respect for your elders?!" she snapped back.

"Jerry's a better elder than you," Sam argued. "All I see is an old hag!" The bickering continued to chip away at Jessie's nature.

"Old… hag..!"

"Oh, and let's not forget that uniform," Alex continued. "Never seen anything so hideous in my life." The insults irked Jessie's anger to a boil.

"Not to mention that hair," Clover joined in. "There's one word you need: makeover! Seriously, no real man would go for you!" Jessie grabbed a remote and pressed a button. Clover felt vibrations on the bars she held and released before a wave of electricity flickered through. The girls breathed relief that none received an electric jolt.

"You twerpettes should shut your traps!" she snarled. "I'm happy enough to have Timmy-poo on my side!" She exited, leaving the spies to contemplate.

"So now what?" asked Alex. "We can't get out without risking our health on those electrified bars."

"What I wanna know is how we get out of here," Clover pondered. "There isn't another WOOHP agent available." They had no clue of who's coming to their rescue.

* * *

 _(18:26)_

Warning lights flickered in the Torpedo Boat like a strobe light. That alerted Ash and Pikachu to know of their arrival to Portugal. The Torpedo Boat began to surface, half a mile from the shore. Once peaked from the ocean's surface, the Torpedo converted to boat-form with a motor. The oceanic air bled into his pores. He found a city above cliff-side. "So that's Porto," he assumed. "And Tim's hideout is beneath." He grabbed a red/white ball and opened it. "Buizel, I choose you!" The ball opened where Buizel emerged as he dove in the ocean. Popping out, he wanted to listen to Ash's instructions. "Buizel, try to find an entrance below the water's surface." Buizel saluted before diving in. The Pokémon with the floatation ring around its neck swam for sometime before it found an opening so big and wide, you could fit two semitrailer trucks back-to-back. It resurfaced to alert its findings.

("I found a big entrance!") he replied. Ash nodded, satisfied with his Pokémon's objective.

"Good work." He applied the oxygen tank to his back, but offered it to Pikachu. "It would be easier if you breathed this. I can hold my breath long enough to reach the entrance." Ash dove into the water and latched onto Buizel. With a deep breath to hold in, Ash allowed Buizel to carry the three below. Buizel swam toward the entrance, Ash doing his best to hold his breath while Pikachu worried that he wouldn't make it to the opening. The three barely reached the entrance. When they surfaced, Ash gasped for air. Pikachu offered Ash the breathing apparatus to give him air.

("Are you okay?") he asked. Ash took a few deep breaths from the oxygen tank.

"Thanks..."

("That was pretty deep.") Once he caught his breath, Ash recalled Buizel.

"Take a rest. We'll need you later on." After the recall, Ash and Pikachu saw the inner activity with plenty of what he previewed in Philadelphia: drug abusers and lots of cargo with the toxic content.

("So much poison...")

"I know. First, we save the girls and then, destroy this place and the drugs before anymore go into the wrong hands." As stealthy as possible, Ash and Pikachu got around the eyes of guards who wanted to protect the place. Suddenly, he found himself in a spacy room, Jessie waiting inside.

"I knew you'd come, twerp," she snarled. "My precious Timmy Darling is making too much of a killing to offer everyone paradise." Ash faced the woman that her teammates have looked for.

"I find it problematic that you'd prefer working with a threat to humanity and not trying to look for rare Pokémon. James and Meowth are looking for you." Jessie scoffed to the detail.

"I could care less about those two. Besides, I found happiness with working by Tim." Ash and Pikachu glanced to each other, wondering if they shouldn't be bothered by the trio if Jessie wants someone and not her male partner and Alley Cat Pokémon.

("She can't be serious...") murmured Pikachu. Jessie grabbed a red/white ball of his own.

"However, that doesn't mean I can't do _this_ to you. Yanmega, I choose you!" The ball opened to bring forth a giant green dragonfly with freakish red eyes. Ash readied a ball of his own.

"Monferno, I choose you!" he called out. Monferno emerged from that ball.

"Yanmega, Silver Wind!" The dragonfly flapped its wings hard enough to emit waves of blades.

"Monferno, Flame Wheel!" Monferno balled up and rolled at Yanmega and climbing the wind blades. The Flame Wheel crashed into Yanmega, the damage huge. Jessie growled in frustration.

"Ancient Power!" Yanmega summoned a transparent form of itself before it swirled into a ball of silver light. It eyed Monferno but Ash had something else as it tossed the energy ball.

"Mach Punch!" Monferno cocked its arm back with the arm aglow. It punched Yanmega's attack back at the user. The blast knocked the Yanmega from the air and too the ground.

"Yanmega!" The dragonfly wasn't moving. "Why is it every time, I can't beat you? Every scheme, every trap and still you come out on top!" Unfortunately, someone overheard Jessie's complaint.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have lied to me," Tim spoke over a PA system. "Now that you've explained your humiliating past, our unity is forfeited. I cannot allow those who've failed constantly have a share." The ceiling opened up above Jessie who looked scared to death.

"Hold on! I can explain! Please!" Suddenly, a cascade of the blue liquid crushed Jessie flush. The drug concoction flattened the redhead. Yanmega was by Ash and Monferno, thus safe from the spill. Jessie laid on the ground, her body covered in the concoction. She twitched uncontrollably, her eyes glued open. The concoction seeped from her mouth, an indication that she swallowed a massive dose. Ash had to clear the area of the drug and found a draining grid which some of the substance had washed toward. He brought Buizel out once more.

"Buizel, use Water Pulse to get the liquid in that drain." Buizel fired orbs of concentrated water and struck the concoction to push into the grid. Each successful strike blew more of the drug to the drain. Plenty cleared away, Ash came over to See Jessie's condition. Immediately, he realized the concoction began to do serious damage and brought out the medicine.

"If James and Meowth weren't looking for you, and I wasn't such a nice guy, I'd leave you like this." He jabbed the syringe to the exposed stomach. The medicine plunged in her body. He only hoped he saved her life if only for her teammates. "Yanmega, watch over her." Yanmega agreed as Ash recalled his Pokémon. After that, he proceeded onward. Meanwhile, Tim entered the same room as the caged spies, seeing their hopeless faces as a sign of their surrender.

"Clover, Alex and Sam," he scoffed. "How nice to have the only threats to my schemes locked up." The girls turned their disgusted faces to the culprit.

"Just wonderful," Clover groaned. "If it isn't your ex-boyfriend, Sam."

"I'd rather forget I dated him, once," Sam retorted.

"Well, that can be arranged," Tim offered. "After all, this operation has been my most successful in a while, not to mention affordable." The girls irked at the callous nature of their enemy.

"Affordable?" questioned Alex. "You call using recycled control substances and poisoning thousands of lives, affordable?"

"Not only would I, but if you know what people will do to obtain their fix, they'll keep using the product until they're at the point of euphoria." Sam balled her fists, wanting to get a piece of the former mate.

"You leech..." scowled Sam. "Wait until I get my hands on you..." Tim brushed Sam's threat from bothering him.

"You won't know how good it'll feel until you experience it yourselves. Oh, and don't bother looking for Jerry's gadgets. WOOHP will fall to the mercy and pleasure of this." His confident attitude soon turned as the door opened, Ash and Pikachu coming through. Tim wasn't expecting him. "And who might you be? WOOHP's new agent?"

"You could call it a temp," he answered. The spies awed at their rescuer. "Just thought I'd let you know that even though you tried to poison me alongside Jessie, violence among humans is considered illegal back home." Tim snickered at the information. The girls blinked, wondering why he wasn't using Pikachu.

"So that means you don't know how to fight someone if you're life's on the line. Although, I prefer to use my head rather than fisticuffs." Tim turned his head away from Ash as he rubbed his fists as he strutted to Tim.

"That's too bad… because I'm not back home." When Tim looked back, he met Ash's left hook across the cheek. Tim stumbled back while the girls gulped at that punch.

"Whoa!" they gasped. Tim turned back again, only to find Ash's right uppercut at the last second. The uppercut forced Tim's chin to the ceiling. He reeled from those two punches, with more to come. Turning Tim into a punching bag, Ash unleashed a boxer's barrage of jabs, hooks and uppercuts. The man named Scam staggered from each blow. He found one chance to fight back with a wild right hook. However, Ash's own right beat Tim's whose eyes rolled back as he fell in a heap, unconscious.

"I needed that." Pikachu quickly searched through Tim's pockets, finding the key for the cage.

("Here you go!" ) he squeaked as he gave the key to Ash who opened the cage and freed the girls.

"Our hero!" chuckled Alex who hugged him after their release.

"That was awesome, Ash!" laughed Clover. "When did you take up boxing?" Ash could explain but he wanted to get the girls to safety.

"Later!" he snapped. "We gotta get outta here!"

"Good idea," Sam agreed. "Let's go!" Clover led the rest out of the room and toward the exit, leaving the sleeping Tim to snooze his injuries. As the group neared the exit, Ash broke off.

"Pikachu, stay with the girls. I got something to do." The girls and Pikachu didn't want Ash to separate.

"But, Ash!" gawked Clover.

"Don't worry! You guys, first!" Pikachu trusted Ash's words to squeak his promise.

"Pikachu?" noticed Sam. Pikachu felt determined to let Ash do his need.

"Alright, be careful, Ash!" acknowledged Clover before leaving. At the entrance, Sam pulled a leaver which opened a compartment holding small oxygen canisters. She gave one to each while holding another for Pikachu before everyone dove in. She held Pikachu as they swam out of the hideout and to the boat. Clover surfaced first with a gasp for breath. After climbing in the boat, she helped Pikachu, then Sam and the girls lifted Alex. They waited for Ash to surface as well. Suddenly, rumbling from below.

"Earthquake?" guessed Alex. That's when huge explosions ruptured from beneath. Within a minute, several explosions rippled through the ocean. Then, calm.

"Ash, come on..." pleaded Sam. They waited for Ash to surface. That's when Ash's hat plopped out from below… on debris floating to the surface. Sam reached to grab his hat, a sudden realization that Ash died in the hideout. "No… Not him!" Clover and Alex saw the hat but not the owner. They began to believe Ash's fate.

("He's too tough to die!") pleaded Pikachu. Clover lifted and hugged the Pokémon in heartbreak. Sam clutched his hat, a young man who she believed didn't deserve to go so soon. Just as they wanted to start praying for Ash…

"Anyone seen my hat?" he asked.

"Not now, Ash!" cried Sam. "We're grieving your death!" That's when the girls gawked once more and turned to Ash and Buizel, very much alive.

"Ash!" they screeched in joy. Clover and Alex reached down to pull him up. Buizel leaped from the water as Alex and Clover hugged Ash, clothes torn but unscathed.

"How did you survive the blasts?" questioned Clover.

"Perfect timing on accident," Ash shrugged. "That's all I can say." Clover rubbed Ash's head playfully.

"Hey, can I have a turn?" asked Sam.

"Come on," teased Alex. "Join the fun!" Instead of a hug, Sam leaned in and kissed Ash, on purpose and holding it. Clover, Alex and Pikachu watched, aghast with the kiss.

"Okay, we can tell she's in love with the kid," Clover joked. Alex and Pikachu chuckled.

"Alright, let's get back home," Alex decided. "Jerry's probably worried sick!" As they started the motor to the boat, all they can think about is getting home. Ash and Pikachu would also want to get back home.

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	8. Sisters from Other Fathers

_Chapter8/Final: Sisters From Other Fathers_

* * *

News reports flooded in about the events in Portugal. "Developing story, authorities around Porto, Portugal continue to investigate the blast that occurred from the coast," one reporter started. "While no bodies have been found, Search & Rescue vehemently believe the blast is man-made, perhaps links to possible terrorism from the Middle East. While none have claimed responsibility, they've also denied any involvement as the death toll remains at zero so far."

"Developing story out of Philadelphia," another reporter opened. "The warehouse in the urban area has been condemned by Philadelphia PD. The warehouse, hosting drug-addled people, some with histories of criminal activity, were forced to work on creating the fragrances for Mac'Sashi products. Police have arrested several individuals in lieu of the operation, thanks to an anonymous source. Another arrest in Pittsburgh in relation to the warehouse, Officer Daniel Deyez of the precinct has been charged with multiple counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance after video surfaced of Deyez distributing packages of numerous drugs, later found within the warehouse. In addition, Deyez has been stripped of his uniform and equipment in lieu of the evidence emerging."

"Developing story in Business," one more reporter spoke. "Mac'Sashi, the new fragrance line that emerged almost two weeks ago, has disappeared from existence. The products have been linked to tens of thousands of customers hospitalized with multiple drug-related illness, some still in hospitals in critical condition. Should the unnamed founder of Mac'Sashi emerged, prosecutors say he's facing the rest of his life in a maximum security prison for this act of dangerous drug distribution."

* * *

 _(WOOHP HQ, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 13:14)_

The reports flooded in all over the world about Tim Scam and Jessie's operation falling apart at the seams. Ash, Alex, Jerry and Sam watched each newscast staying focus on the downfall. Sam kept her hands around Ash's chest, her love interest despite the apparent age difference between the two. "Scam-Jess is no more," Alex joked. "And it took one shrimp to take an elephant-size job like rescuing three damsels in-distress." Ash giggled, sporting a new black t-shirt which had an emblem of a cyan shark biting a hockey stick in half. He also sported new navy blue jeans.

"By the way, what did you do before the explosion?" asked Jerry.

"I found and dragged Jessie to an escape pod since someone still wanted her," Ash explained. "After that, I cranked every lever to the top that overloaded every system and took cover in a steel case. Once the explosions stopped, I climbed out, my clothes kept getting caught, and summoned Buizel to leave." While brief, the information still left those of WOOHP in awe.

"What I like to know is where he learned to box?" pointed Sam. "Tim looked so perplexed when he got the Mike Tyson treatment. What would you say, KO in the first round?"

"What **I** like to know is where he got that line before taking Tim to the floor," Alex remembered. "It was like from a children's movie. Which one?" Before anyone could ponder, an outburst of laughter erupted. On Jerry's computer, Clover and Pikachu enjoyed the video from Ash's loaned sunglasses filming Mandy's worst hair day.

"Oh my gosh!" the laughing blond squealed. "I love it!" Pikachu joined in the chortling. "This is the best video I've seen of her!" She embraced Pikachu in a hug, both laughing without end. Alex came over to see the humor, soon blasting chuckles from her lips.

"That's awesome!" she cackled. "The electric Afro suits her!" Clover started to calm down, the laugh needed after what she and her friends endured.

"My goodness, Ash! Only you could get that close to Mandy and get her at her gnarliest." She stood up and walked over to give Ash another hug. "If only I could have you like a brother!" She broke the hug but grabbed his head and kissed him in the cheek. Sam jumped, startled by the apparent piece of love.

"Clover!" she snapped.

"Come on, Sam! Ash is the picturesque little brother we all wanted! He didn't go in our diaries..."

"When did you have a diary?" questioned Alex. Clover cleared her throat to further explain.

"He didn't mess our makeup… Heck, he even risked his life to save us! In my opinion, I would adopt him and be a big sister. That still means you can still date him, Sam." The remark made the redhead blush. Alex laughed to Sam's reaction.

"Good one, Clover! But you're right about Ash..." She joined Ash as Clover stepped away. "He's great with an older sister… and there are three of us who can take him in." She offered a kiss to Ash's other cheek, Sam reacting with giggles.

"Get in your kisses while you can," Jerry advised. "I've received contact that a rift was spotted in Paris, France. They said they found more Pokémon, meaning Ash may be going back home." The girls moaned, upset that their newly named little brother had to leave.

"Not now!" whined Clover. "We wanna keep him for a little longer!" Jerry shook his head.

"I understand, Clover… Frankly, he'd be an elite member in several years with WOOHP. Still, he and his Pokémon belong back home." The spies looked dejected, not willing to part ways with their new partners. Even Ash felt terrible about breaking from the spies. For Sam, this seemed to be the last time the two would be together.

"At some point, we need to let go," she mulled. "Well, one for the road back to the Pokémon World..." She came to Ash and like on the boat after the rescue, she kissed him on the lips. Clover and Alex hugged Pikachu one last time, with some kisses added. With their love offered, Ash and Pikachu gathered their things.

"Clover, Alex…" he listed. "Sam, too… We had a blast with you so there's no way we'll forget." Pikachu acknowledged their friendship with a few squeaks.

"Hey, we're not forgetting our new little brother anytime soon," Clover joked. Ash and Pikachu shared a laugh before they waived a fond farewell. Soon, he'll be going to France and back through to their land.

* * *

 _(Pokémon Gym, Sunnyshore City, Sinnoh; 10:15)_

Weeks passed. Everything seemed back to normal but a line had formed outside a building. Somehow, the spies arrived at the same structure. "According to this map," Alex studied as she looked at a pamphlet. "This seems to be the Sunnyshore Gym where Ash is suppose to be." Clover and Sam looked through the line, no Ash in sight.

"Maybe Ash moved on," Clover assumed. "Let's ask to make sure." They reached the line before speaking up.

"Excuse me," Sam voiced. One young man turned to the trio. "Can you tell us what's going on?"

"Yeah, Volkner reopened his Pokémon Gym to challenge him for his Beacon Badge," one young man explained. "It's been awhile since he accepted challengers."

"Yeah, but he promised his first challenge was that young man with the Pikachu," A young woman added. The extra information stoked the others to believe the young man in question was Ash.

"And he's inside?" asked Alex.

"He is. Are you friends of him?"

"We are. We came after we got word he's here in this city." The two young people nodded to each other with an idea.

"Go on ahead, we'll tell you about your visit!"

"Awesome!" cheered Clover. The guards allowed the spies to enter. After getting in, Sam had an idea.

"Ready for the change?" she suggested. "The bathroom's right there." Alex and Clover nodded before going into the women's bathroom. In another room, three people sat on the bleachers with two Pokémon. One was an Afro redhead man in a yellow button-down t-shirt and black slacks. Another was a tanned, spiky brunette wearing a brown vest over a green t-shirt and beige slacks. His eyes squinted with his arms crossed. There was a blue-haired girl in a pink cheerleader ensemble with pink pom-poms. The same cheerleader ensemble was on a blue penguin chick and a brown bunny with fleece on its ears. The redhead seemed interested about the upcoming battle.

"Didn't you say Ash will be wearing something new for this battle, Brock?" he asked.

"He did, Flint," Brock confirmed. "His whole persona changed after he disappeared for awhile since he allowed Gliscor to train with the Air Battle Master and before he acquired Gible. I'll admit, Gible did like Ash's shirt with 'the shark and the hockey stick' print." Before long, one person and mouse entered from a wing. A blond man in a blue jacket over a black shirt and jeans came out to the sight of those on the bleachers. The light brown mouse had yellow cheeks and a whip-like tail with a lightning bolt at the tip. The robot at the sideline of a marked field in the middle of the room saw the blond enter as the spies also arrived to see the ordeal, behind the others.

"The Sunnyshore Gym Leader, Volkner, has arrived," it computed. Clover started to drool at Volkner's arrival and stance, his wrist connecting to his hip.

"Why does that mouse look like Pikachu?" wondered Alex. Suddenly, Ash and Pikachu emerged from the other side. Ash still wore the cap but he wore a short-sleeve navy blue denim jacket over the shark shirt and new navy blue jeans. He also donned sunglasses. The robot registered Ash's entrance.

"The challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, has arrived." Ash removed his sunglasses before putting the pair in his jacket's pocket.

"Whoa, what a getup!" the blue-haired gasped.

"Tell me about it, Dawn," Flint gulped. "Didn't you say that he had no fashion sense?" Brock fidgeted for an answer. Ash faced Volkner, both in boxes connected to the lined field.

"Sorry for the wait," he apologized. "With your first Gym Battle in so long, I thought a little style should go to it." Volkner huffed a little chuckle, humored to the wardrobe.

"I'll admit, that look suits you," Volkner praised. "Let's see if your battling has the same style." The robot lifted a red and green flag on its limbs.

"This is an official Pokémon Gym Battle between the Sunnyshore Gym Leader, Volkner, and the challenger, Ash of Pallet Town," it informed. "On the line is the Beacon Badge. Trainers will use three Pokémon each, and the battle is over when all of one trainer's Pokémon cannot continue. Furthermore, only the challenger can switch Pokémon while the Gym Leader cannot. There is also no time limit." For Volkner and Ash, their time to shine came.

"It's been awhile since you helped return the Sunnyshore Tower back from Team Rocket. However, can you fight the static of my powerful Electric-Type Pokémon?"

"If I can bring the spark back into Pokémon battles," Ash grinned. "Allow me to steal your thunder, and win your Beacon Badge." Dawn turned to the penguin chick and the bunny.

"Piplup," she called her penguin before turning her head to the bunny. "Buneary, let's cheer Ash hard." Piplup and Buneary agreed with Dawn's encouragement. Someone beat the three to the shout.

"Let's go, Ash!" yelled Sam. Ash jumped at the shout, nearly stumbling out of the box. Everyone turned to the spies, their cheerleader outfits matching the colors of their jumpsuits: Clover in red, Sam in green and Alex in yellow.

"You've got this guy!" cheered Alex. Ash gawked as he recognized the three who just appeared.

"Sam?!" he gulped. "Clover?! Alex, what the heck are you three doing here?!" Clover and Sam waived nicely.

"Duh! You, of course!" Everyone else seemed befuddled with the trio that arrived.

"Ash, you know these three?" asked Volkner.

"In a way, they're… my honorary… big sisters," Ash shyly replied as he itched the back of his head. Nothing still rung the heads of the others.

"Brock, I thought Ash was an only child," Dawn questioned. When she heard no response, she turned… but Brock wasn't in his seat. She turned to see Brock on his ascent. He scaled the benches so fast, he met with the spies, including clasping the hands of Clover.

"The cheering section could use a few more moving serenades for my Pokémon Master wannabe," cooed Brock. "But maybe afterwards, we can find a nice spot where my gourmet will have you cheering for more." Clover blinked at Brock's immediate proposal.

"Wait, what do you-" she tried to talk but…

"As a young man destined to find one in need of love, allow me to show the path that awai-AH!" A sharp sting to Brock's side stopped him. He released his grip and contorted his body when glowing purple fingers jabbed his side. Those fingers belonged to a navy blue frog with orange cheeks. Brock collapsed to the ground where the frog dragged him away. Dawn and the Pokémon covered their faces in humiliation.

"Not… again," Dawn mulled.

"Suddenly, Croagunk is starting to scare me," Volkner murmured. "And he's not one of your Pokémon."

"Tell me about it," Ash agreed, as did Pikachu. Clover shuttered after the moment, realizing the comparison with her and the young man who asked her out.

"I… need to settle down and stick to David," she gulped. Ash and Volkner got to the bleachers, postponing the battle a little longer. WOOHP's agents joined the rest below.

"You see what I meant, Clover?"

"Yeah, but there's no way I could be at his 'Creep Level'."

"At least Croagunk keeps him in check, though I think he'll be down for sometime," Dawn explained. "Looked like he got him flush." The other mouse climbed to see the new cheerleaders.

"Anyway, is that suppose to be Pikachu grown up?" asked Sam.

"More or less," Volkner replied. "It's the evolved form: Raichu. He's not battling today." Sam reached and petted Raichu, the rodent enjoying the strokes.

"Normally, I'd be going gaga for you, Volky-poo," Clover cooed. "But that Croagunk's telling me otherwise."

"That's alright. Croagunk's Poison Jab is pretty potent." That's when she glanced to Dawn, noting her outfit.

"By the way, that's a nice cheerleader outfit you got on." Dawn giggled at the compliment.

"Thanks," she said. "Made it myself, as well as Piplup's and Buneary's." The Pokémon expressed their likeness to wearing their tiny uniforms. "By the way, why did Ash refer you as honorary sisters?"

"Easy," Alex snapped a reply. "We helped him with his problem and he helped us tenfold." Dawn nodded in agreement.

"I see. I thought for a second one of you might have been his girlfriend, if not all three." To one, there was some truth to that.

"At least one of us could make that claim..." Sam's cheeks showed some red, blushing to a fact she didn't want to come clean about.

"Well… No need to worry. It's not a big deal, right now."

"Right," Flint spoke up. "We're here to see Ash and Volkner battle." Ash and Volkner bobbed nods as Croagunk returned, over to Clover's side. Clover stuttered at the frog's presence. The trainers reached their boxes to start the battle. Ash grabbed one of his red/white balls as Dawn's Pokémon began cheering.

"Here we go!" shouted Ash as he threw the ball forward. While he may be engaging a battle with a gym leader, he'll never forget how he dealt with a Scam and tossed his scheme aside. Sam watched his beloved young man compete with refreshed spirit. Still, it's no big WOOHP!

* * *

THE END

(Thanks for reading. Next chapter that comes up is the one that started my Fanfiction career: Pokémon & Digimon!)


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